THEY were the days when a blazer and flannels was really the only sailing gear imaginable, of spectacular racing yachts owned by Royalty and captains of industry and an exclusive social calendar of cocktail parties, receptions and balls.

Come to think of it not that much has changed at the world famous sailing regatta at Cowes, except, these days, crews and skippers wear more casual and suitable clothes as they race their craft across the Solent waves.

Royalty is perhaps less in evidence than in former times although Prince Philip, the Royal Family's most ardent supporter of the event, again surprised many Isle of Wight visitors by strolling around the streets of Cowes for a few days as he enjoyed the unique atmosphere of the occasion.

The famous festival really is unique, nowhere other than Great Britain could hold such an event with such style and panache which ranks alongside Wimbledon, Royal Ascot and Henley.

Even the way the date of the regatta is fixed is wonderfully British. The first Saturday of sailing at Cowes always follows the last Tuesday in July, which is the start of the Glorious Goodwood horse race meeting.

Not that the regatta was always such a genteel affair. Competition between yachts racing has always been tough, but nothing has come close to one challenge back in the last century when two crews attacked each other's boats with swords.

Back in 1829, after a collision between the yachts, Lulworth and Louisa, the crews came to blows. During the fight the yachtsmen tried to dismast each other by slashing the rigging with cutlasses.

Some years back the whole event was in danger of just fading away but then along came the Southampton-based finance and pensions company, Skandia Life and rejuvenated the regatta to make it once again one of the most successful festivals of its kind anywhere in the globe.

Some say yacht racing at Cowes has its roots in fishing boats laden with smuggled contraband trying to outrun customs men, but it is known that formal contests were organised in the early 1880s, when the Yacht Club, later to become the pre-sent, exclusive Royal Yacht Squadron, started. In 1812 the first official regatta was staged and 14 years later the Royal Yacht Squadron organised a three-day racing event. In 1827 the club won the royal seal of approval when George VI presented a cup for the occasion.

Emporer Louis Napoleon joined the membership of the Squadron in 1858, the first of many overseas rulers to become part of the Cowes regatta every year.

Disagreement over the blackballing of prospective members of the Royal Yacht Squadron are usually discreetly dealt behind the club's impressive doors but on one occasion it became an extremely public confrontation.

The owner of a 150-ton schooner armed with eight brass canons was so incensed when he learned he had been rejected for membership he dropped anchor off the Cowes' waterfront and threatened to fire on the Squadron if the person who black-balled him did not apologise.

After a period of tense negotiation he received an apology, honour was satisfied and he sailed away.

As the years went on other clubs began to stage races before and after those run by the Squadron and by the early 1950s it was so busy that the "week'' was stretched to eight or nine days.

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